Dual-ratio mechanism for automobiles



July 11, 1933. c. M. WERT DUAL RATIO MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Feb. 6, 1953 ATTOR N EY July 11, 1933. M, WERT 1,918,200

DUAL RATIO MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Feb. 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IVENTOR ATTORNEYS type associated with Patented niv-11, 1933* CHARLES ivLfWEn'af'oE criEvELAND, omogjassroloia or oNElTHmD 'ro I PETzNIcmoE CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, omo,j A1vDoNE-THIBD-To CLARENCE H. naar, '1

- DM'RATI MECHANISM. L FR iAUTO'MoltiImis f This 'invention relates toa dual-ratio or" two-speed transmission mechanism of that automobile.

' Itis toibe understood. thatwiththe presi' ent invention, there is still employed-the conventional transmission for establishing the regular gear ratios as usual, the' purpose of this invention beingtofprovidemeans wherebyany given gear ratiothus esta'b-v lished can be niodiecl,tfor instance,"by 1n-v creasingtlie speed, 'or wherebyv the driving force can be transmittedto fthe' driven axles of the automobile u 'heelsivithout any modi- AThe present .invention conteml plates also fthe possibility of disconnec'ting the drive shaft from the driven axles of the' automobile wheels, independently'ofthe regular Aclutch and conventional transmission.

tication.

vThe object ot my present invention isfto devise a sampler, more compact, and .eX'

tremely durable anddependable two-speed..v transmission mechanism, in -'combination with a differential mechanisnnsaid mecha# nis'ms being associated together as 'aunitary form of device.. t

A more specific object of my invention is kto provide a vunitary assembly of a :differen-v tial mechanism and 'a' jspeed-moditymg.

mechanism comprising internal and' external Agears witha suppm-tinginember rotatably mounted in' an enclosing driving casing and' affording an internal eccentric lbearin'gforl 'a compound internal-external-jidler gear.

which co-'operates with a speed-modifying internal gear and a. speed-mod1fy1ng external gear in transmitting'different speeds to the dili'erential mechanism, through the manipulation of suitable control means, so as..

to thereby transmit different speeds tothe axle shafts of the automobile Whe els.

A further object consists in devising such a mechanism-in which there is provided a control means comprising companion clutch members upon the hub portion of the supporting member and also upon the driving casing and upon the stationary axle housing,

as a means or obtaining either normal or` modified speeds, or for entirely disconnectthe axleassemblyl o an f means whereby the lubricating compound, as

itis thrown by centrifugal force from a large A It is to romthe drive shaft@` My invention furtheraimsfto provide' av ing thiedriven aides ofl the automobile' Wheelsy i ring gear to certain'v portions'of the housing,

ywill be conveyed thenceby-gravity along a c lirectin'g. channel to a point .in the 'region of the ainsjofrotatio'n Where it is picked 60y up and d rawn'j by eentripetal force 'through' -a restricted annulartli'roatprovided between 'the outer casing; ,j

in venti' n lcomprehends -also certaiI-ll designing and refinement' of parts vthat are peculia'r'to the present combination and arev advanta'geous'from-the standpoint of -simplified manu-facture' and servicing, all of which will be hereinafter described @ther objects Will appear rom'the -following description and. claims when considered together' with'the accompanying dravvbei/understood also that the' present form of disclosure is lmerely for purposes of illustration and that various Vother modi-l v ications may be eliected Without departing 07 from the' .spirit ofthe presenti herein set forthfandclaimed. I

Figl is a horizontal sectional View of my' vention as improved mechanism;

' FigQB is 'a view partly in elevation and 35A partly. in section to 'indicate the :manner-of distributing the lubricant; .f Figif is a View' taken on line Arf-lof FFig. 4 is a view .taken on line B-B cfg@ mi. L .f y

. The rear 'axle housing l hasa middle portion thereof provided with a detachable. plate 2 which has a bearing :structure 3 for the vsupporter the-drive shaft 4,011 which is 95 iixedly mounted a small' driving-pinion 5. 4The detachable plate' 2 is provided with supports 6 and 7 for the oppositely disposed antiffrictional bearings 8 and 9 which are suitably retained within said supports. 30@

Within the anti-frictional bearings 8 and 9 are journaled the coaxially disposed hubs 10 and 11 of the parts 12 and 13, respectively, which are bolted together so as to form an outer driving casing provided with annularly arranged openings 12a in one end thereof. Attached to the same end thereof 1s a centripetal ring 12b with an inwardly extending cone portion surrounding and spaced from the adjacent portion of hub 10. There is also mounted upon'the easing 12 and 13, the large bevel gear 14 meshing with the small bevel driving pinion 5 of the drive shaft 4.

Anti-frictional bearing 16 provides a journal for concentrically mounting the supporting member 15 within portion 13 of the outer driving casing, this supporting member having an eccentric bearing wall 17 within which is arranged the anti-frictional bearing 19 providing suitable support for a rotatable combination internalexternal idler gear 18 with its tooth portions 2O and 21 in constant mesh with the internal driving gear 23 and external driven gear 22, respeetively, as seen in Fig. Internal driving gear 23 is bolted concentrieally to the insidebf port 13 of the outer driving caslng, and the hub portion of external driven gear 22 is concentrically journaled by means of anti-frictional bearing 24 within the hub portion 25 of the supporting member 15.

The differential gears 26 and 27 Aare jour- -naled Within the differentialcasing 28 by means of their hubs 29 and 30, respectively, which are journaled therewith and eoaxially within hub 10 and the hub or bear-` ing portion provided upon the externa-l driven gear 22, respectively. The gears 26 and 2,7 are splined or keyed to axle shafts 31 and 32, respectively, and mesh with differential pinions 28:L which are rotatably mounted on arm 33, which is rigidly fixed at its ends in suitable, oppositely disposed holes in the wall of casing 28. The differential casing 28 is keyed to portion 22a of external driven gear 22 so as to rotate therewith.

It will be observed that the supporting member 15 is mounted concentrieally for rotation about the axis of the outer driving easing and that the hub of the supporting member 15 extends beyond the hub 11 of the outer driving easing so as to permit the adjustable clutch member to be splined thereupon, as will now be explained.

A toothed clutch member 34 is splined or otherwise slidably keyed to hub portion 35 of supporting member' 15 so as to rotate therewith, said clutch member being shiftable back and forth therealong by a conventional yoke form of shifting device 36, the arms of which engage in a groove in the clutch member and which is pivotally mounted at a point in detachable plate 2 for manipulation by the operator through suitable connections.

The clutch member 34, when shifted in one direct-ion, is engageable with the socalled clutch member 37 which forms part of the stationary element 38 in the fixed support 7, and when shifted in the other direction, is engageable with clutch portion 39 which forms part of hub portion 11 of t-he casing part 13. This clutch mechanism will be more fully understood from the following description of the operation of the entire speed-modifying mechanism.

In the accompanying illustration, the speed-modifying mechanism is in what lnight be called neutral position; that is, the clutch members 34, 37 and 39 are out of engagement. Therefore, the outer driving casing 12-13 and the large bevel gear 14 may be rotated by the drive pinion 5 without imparting any rotation whatever to the axle shafts 31 and 32.

To obtain the transmission of one speed to the axle shafts 31 and 32, for instance what might be referred to as normal speed, the clutch member 34 is shifted into engagement with clutch member 39, and with these clutch members thus engaged, all mechanism within outer driving casing 12-13 will revolve as a unit with the outer driving casing 12-13 and the largebevel gear .14, thus transmitting to the axle shafts 31 and 32 the unmodishaft 4 through driving pinion 5 and large bevel gear 14. The rate of speed referred to as normal is that speed corresponding` to any given ratio in the regular transmission. During this operation, the supporting member 15 and internal-external gear 18 do not rotate within their own bearings but merely revolve as a unit.

In order to transmit to the axle shafts 31 and 32 a rate of speed in excess of that co.- responding to the gear ratio in the regular transmission at any given time, the clutch member 3 4 is shifted into engagement with the stationary portion 37, whereupon the supporting member 15 is held stationary. Vhen kthe supporting member 15 is thus held' stationary and the outer driving casing 12-13 is rotated through its drive connection from drive shaft 4, the internal driving gear 23 is carried in the same direction as the large bevel gear 14, thereby causing rotation of the combination internal-external idler gear 18 which is journaled within an eccentrically formed bearing portion of the supporting member 15. The combination internal-external idler gear 18 being in mesh with external driven gear 22, will cause rotation of the said gear 22 inthe same direction at an increased rate of speed; and consequently there will be transmitted a eorre spondingly increased speed of rotation to axle Shafts 31 and 32through the keyed portion 22afof external drivenfgearQQ, thence through-differential casing28, arm'-v 33, differential pinions .28a 'and 'differential gears 26 an'd 27. f g The larger part 'of supporting'member 15 is cutaway to` "the necessary extent, as indiadopted'for this' purpose,

cated atlgin order'to obtain proper bal ance and thereby avoid any. vibrations which I might' otherwise be caused duringjoperation of the mechanism. Other means in'ight.

The `mechanism heretofore `clesciibed .Will- 'of course `beoperatt1l-ile also in 'connection' .vith .the 'reverse' Igear combination ofthe The special lubricating rmeans for this mechanism will now be described. The large `bevel gear llat rctating at a-ny. spe ed, carries` with it a 'portion ofthe li-Lbricating colnpound in the axle'houslng l and -a partjof this lubricant Will be thrown by'centi-if uggfal f end 40 of, the inclined and tapered'conveying i channel 4l which is :provided at-the top' of housing 1. .The opening` 40 is cut back in an inclined'.manner` upon thev near sidesofas tof.

facilitatethe', entrance .of the lubricant' ivhichfwill be impi'nged againstftlie inner surface of the far sidebf thechannel mem-- ber. This lubricant flowsbygravity through the channel il and out at-:the' smaller. end

'thereof and upon the upper-part of supportv .6, whence it flows ontotheflmb portion.' of

outer driving casing-1.2.'- The lubricant is thence drawn by centripetal ,force through the passage provided between the tapered portion of hub lO and the' correspomlingly c .shaped centripetal rin'glQb .so as to. pass'v parts therewithin.- The pathtaken byithis" through Aopenings -1-2 to 4the inside of'- )uter y driving 'casing 152-13 for lubricating. the

lubricant: is' graphically' portrayed by arrow.' .lines in Fig. 2 'ofthe :accompanying draw# Among the d istinguishing` charzuteristics of the .present combination', '1 attach considerable importance tothe fact that the supT porting member 15 isf rotatably mounted concentrically within the oute'rqcasi'ng, Aand i aifordsaconcentric, bearing surface forro!- tation of the external drivenyg'can22,'and

affords also an eccentric'bearing4 surface.

` within which the combination internal-exter- G5 standpoint, the entire unit may be readily nal idler gearis rotatably mounted'. Thus,

said combination internal-external'idler.gear

Also, the present "c'ombinationfis tively simple and yet 'extremely dependable .assaulted -jerdiss'semtla by "virtue Qf the fact that it is supported upon the detachable". 'plate 2 of`the axl e'hou sing.

comparaand efficient, `thus being comparatvel'yinexfpensive from the'standpoint'of manufacture as Well as The' particular' system of. automatic lubri- .ca tion' constitutes another featureof novelty and con-tributes to the lifeand efliciency 'of the' mechanism. 'Thus, l have 'at an' increased rateof speed as' compared However, 'it is' te be" understood that 'there may be devised other forms of mechanismaccomplishedf'an efficient l v unitary assembly ofjmechanism comprisingcombination of thedifferential mechanism; :and a vsimplified and. efficientspeed-modifying means' by which the 'axles fmaybedriven 4that of" Wear for replace ment of in Whichthe rateo'f speed-maybe. modified iii 'su'cha.A mannerv ,as '-to operategthea'Xle- An'y' and all such modificz'ltions are to be understood as being v comprehended by the fol-lowing claims.vv

1. aspeedinodifying an' automobile,v the combination of adifferential' mechanism having" drive: connection drive'fshaft, speed-'modifyinggeais 'arranged opera-tively.. between `said Vdrive shaft and differential mechanism;v said gears vinclud'-V ing-an internal-'external idler gear, and i1'1.

ternal and external-gears meshing 'there 'With-'and adapted 'to-effect a modification inl speed .transmitted to theaXles of the' a-ut oshafts at areduced rateofspeed as comparedwiththe normal orunmodified speed.`

. vv ymechanism for.

mobile -wheelsf, a 'single-supporting member having' bearing 'portions arranged .ecc'entrL cally and fconcentrically with respect .te-the axis of the differential-mechanism, for said int'ernal-ez'iternal .idler and external gears', I

respectively, said vexternal l'gear being cnnected with the' differential mechanism for.`

operation thereof, said.. internalv gear bei-ng .connected with theydrive shaft, and means whereby said speed-modifying mechanism' 'may beirendered'active or inactives() that the automobile 'Wlieelsmay be .operatedv at either normal orfmodifi'ed speed.

2. In a1speedmodifyingl mechanism, (an outer driving casing, a drive shaftfhaving suitable connectionv with saidrcasingfor rotating the same., axle lsl1'a" fts bf the autoni'bilei'wheels extending' thereinto, said axle shafts'operatively -connected to .al pair of differential gears, al differential casing journaled upon hub por-tions of-said differential gears and locate'dwithinsaid'outer casing', differential pinions and.V an arm therefor serving to connect said didere'ntial gears to said differential casing.l speed-modifying internal and external gears located to one side of said differential casing and Within said outer driving casing, one of said speedmodifying internal gears being fixedly connected to said outer driving casing, and one of said speed-modifying external gears being fixedly connected to said differential Casing, a single supporting member concentrically journaled Within said outer driving casing and having an internal eccentric bearing portion and an internal concentric bearing portion upon one side and an extended hub portion upon the opposite side thereof, an internal-external idler gear journaled Within said eccentric bearing portion of said supporting member and being in mesh with both said speed-modifying internal and external gears, said external gear being` journaled within said concentric bearing portion of said supporting member, a clutch means adapted to connect said supporting member to said outer driving casing ,for normal speed, and a stationary part in engagement with which said supporting member may be adjusted by manipulation of lsaid clutch means for the production of increased speed.

3. In3 a speed-modifying mechanism, an outer driving casing, a drive shaft having suitable connection with said casing for rotating the same, axle shafts ofthe automobile wheels extending thereinto, said axle shafts operatively connected to a pair of differential gears, a differential casing journaled upon hub portions of said differential gears and located within said outer casing, differential pinions and an arm therefor serving to connect said differential gears to said differential casing. speed-modifyinginternal and external gears located to one side of said differential casing and within said outer driving casing, one of said speedmodifying internal gears being fixed connected to said outer driving casing, and one of said speed-modifying external gears being fixe'dly connected to said differential casing, a single supporting member concen- `trieally journaled Within said outer driving casing and having an internal eccentric Y bearing portion and an internal concentric bearing portion upon one side and an extended hub portion upon the opposite side thereof, an internal-external idler gear journaled within said eccentric bearing portion of said supporting member and being in mesh with both said speed-modifyinginternal and external gears, said external gear being journaled Within said concentric bearing portion of said supporting member, a clutch means adapted to connect said supporting member to said outer driving casing for normal speed, and a stationary part in engagement With which said supporting .member may be adjusted by manipulation of said clutch means for the production of increased speed, the engageable clutch member of said clutch means being slidably mounted along the axis of said supporting memberand adapted for rotation therewith.

4. In a speed-modifying mechanism for an automobile, an outer driving casing, a drive shaft having suitable connection with said casing for rotating the same, axle shafts of the automobile wheels extending thereinto, said axle shafts operatively connected to a pair of differential gears, a differential casing journaled upon hub portions of said differential gears, differential pinicns and an arm therefor serving to connect said differential gears to said differential casing, speed-lnodifying mechanism including internal and external gears, said external gear being fixedly connected to said differential casing, mechanism for establishing operative drive connectie between said outer casing andsaid external driven gear, said mechanism including an internal-external gear meshing With said internal and external gears, and means for rendering said speedmodifying mechanism active or inactive so that the automobile Wheels may be operated at either normal or modified speed, a lubricant-containing housing enclosing said outer casing, and lubricant-conducting means located in the upper part of said lubricantcontaininghousing and adapted to receive lubricant discharged thereinto by centrifugal force of rotation of said outer driving casing and to convey such lubricant by gravity to the region of the axis of said outer casing, whence such'lubricant may be supplied to the interior thereof by centripetal force through openings provided in the Wall of said outer casing, the hub portion of said outer casing beng provided with a substantially cone-shaped portion, and a centripetal ring member arranged with respect to said cone-shaped portion and said openings so as to provide an annular passagefor the lubricant through said openings.

5. In a speed-modifying mechanism for an automobile, an outer driving casing, a drive shaft having suitable connection with said casing for rotating the same, axle shafts of the automobile wheels extending thereinto, said axle shafts operatively connected to a pair of differential gears, a differential casingjournaled upon hub portions of said differential gears, differential pinions and an arm therefor serving to connect said differential gears to said differential casing, speedmodifying mechanism including internal and external gears, said external gear being fixedly connected to said differential casing, said internal gear being connected with the drive shaft, mechanism for establishing operative drive connection between said outer casing and said external driven gear, said nal gears, and means for rendering said speed-modifying mechanism active or inactive so that the automobile wheels may be operated at either normal-or modified speed, a lubricant-containing housing surrounding said outer driving casing and having a readily detachable wall section supporting the mechanism enclosed within said lubricantcontaining housing.

6. In a speed-modifying mechanism for an'automobile, the combination of a differtial mechanism having drive connection with the axles of the automobile wheels, a drive shaft, speed-modifying gears arranged operatively between said drive shaft and differential mechanism, said gears including an internal-external idler gear, and internal and external gears meshing therewith and adapted to effect a modification in speed transmitted to the axles of the automobile wheels, a single supporting member having bearing portions arranged eccentrically and concentrically with respect to the axis of the differential mechanism, for said internalexternal idler gear and vfor said external gear, respectively, said external gearobeing connected with the differential mechanism for operation thereof, and means whereby said speed-modifying mechanism mayj be rendered active or inactive so that the auto-y mobile Wheels may be operated at either normal or modified speed, said mechanism being dynamically balanced to offset any and all vibrations which might otherwise result from the eccentrically located portion and the parts associated therewith.

7 In a speed-modifying,mechanism for an automobile, an outer driving casing, a drive shaft having suitable connection with said casing for rotating the same, axle shafts of the automobile wheels extending thereinto, said axle shafts operatively connected to a pair of differential gears, a differential casing journaled upon hub portions of said differential gears, differential pinionsfand an arm therefor serving to connect said differential gears to said differential casing, speed-modifying mechanism including internal and external gears, said external gear being fixedly .connected to said differential casing, mechanism for establishing operative drive connection between said outer casing and said external driven gear,.said mechanism including an internal-external gear meshing with said internal and 4external gears, and means for rendering said speedmodif'ying mechanism active or inactive so that the automobile wheelsmay be operated at either normal or modified speed.

ln Witness whereof, I hereby afiix my signature. f

CHARLES M. WERT. 

